Cauliflower fritters with tahini dip

From Maria-Carin Gala’s Organic Kitchen.

Golden Cauliflower Chia Fritters with Turmeric

These are my favourite fritters, I like to make these delicious golden little things for anyone that allows me into their kitchen. More than a handy snack to have in the fridge, or freezer, they make sexy finger food, or wraps, they can even star as a main act for dinner, accompanied by a grand salad. This must be one of the best ways to eat this cancer-fighting, cruciferous vegetable: cauliflower. Filled with omega-3 fatty acids from the chia seeds and our anti-inflammatory superhero curcumin in turmeric, this is how versatile, healthy and delicious a vegan gluten-free recipe can be!

Makes about 20 little fritters

Dry ingredients

1 & 1/2 cups chickpea flour
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp bicarb
1 tsp salt
A few screws of your black pepper grinder

Wet ingredients

1 cup rice milk
Coconut oil for frying

More ingredients

1 small cauliflower, grated coarsely about 700g
1/2 cup spring onions, chopped about 4 stalks
1/2 bunch parsley, green and stalk chopped

Action

Mix the dry ingredients well. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix everything together and let sit for about 30 minutes giving the chia seeds a chance to expand and in return hold the fritters together. Sometimes the mixture can be more dry or wet depending on the size and water content of the cauliflower, so just adjust with milk and/or flour to reach the right consistency that will hold when fried. I’d recommend test-frying one fritter before doing all of them.

Form little rounds, about 2 tbsp each, with wet hands. Fry in coconut oil on a medium heat until golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Roughly 5 minutes on each side, the longer they fry the better, you want the cauliflower to cook in the middle, so take your time.

You can also store them in the oven at around 130 C until serving, this gives them another chance to cook through.

Enjoy these hot with home made Cucumber Pickles, which help to digest fried foods and of course they are also delightful with the Green Goddess Tahini Dip, Coconut Coriander Chutney, or an Avocado Zucchini Dill Dip.

They store well in the fridge or freezer, ready to be heated in a toaster or grill.

Tips

Chia seeds work as an egg replacement, as well as chickpea flour also called ‘besan flour’.

You can add 1 cup of leftover cooked grains to this recipe, millet or quinoa tastes very nice.

You can also use other vegetables like zucchini, carrot, sweet potato, instead of the cauliflower.

Green Goddess Tahini Dip

I reckon every vegan chef needs to have a really good tahini sauce recipe. From experience this one seems to be most welcoming and delightful for even ‘normal’ eaters, which makes me incredibly happy.

Tahini is full of magnesium which might help with chocolate cravings. Apple cider vinegar aids our digestion and garlic is antiviral and antibacterial. Parsley has big amounts of vitamin C, specially when eaten raw like in this recipe. Wow, how easy is it to use food as medicine?

This dip hugs your tongue and completes your Cauliflower Chia Fritters experience.

Try it in a wrap, with a quinoa salad or steamed vegetables. Even plain vegetable sticks are awesome dipped in this richness. Enjoy the versatility!

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 cup hulled tahini
1/2 cup water, amount depending on desired consistency
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup chopped loosely packed fresh parsley
1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt

Action

Place everything into a blender and blend until smooth.
Keeps for 4-5 days in the fridge, but freezes well too.

Tip

Instead of parsley, coriander and mint work nicely in this dip too.

Important tahini tip: Before every use mix the tahini jar very very well with a clean spoon. This will ensure that the thick sediment at the bottom is blended with the oily top. Even if you’re impatient I highly recommend this step. I prefer hulled tahini, but by all means if you like the unhulled version go for gold.

Recipe by Maria Carin Gala – galasorganickitchen.com – feedback on your cooking and baking experiences are welcome at: galasorganickitchen@gmail.com – more recipes by Maria-Carin on Osho News